


Nights With Her

by DianaandAlicia



Category: Fear the Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alicia and Althea are married, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Charlie is their adopted daughter, Cute, F/F, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Other Characters Are Mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2020-06-30 11:09:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19851925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DianaandAlicia/pseuds/DianaandAlicia
Summary: An average evening in the Szewczyk-Przgocki Clark home.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Y'all! This idea came to me when I was talking to my mom. We are watching season 5 together and we both agree that they should rename the show from Fear the Walking Dead to Fear the Walking Daycare. I kind of wanted to write Al and Alicia as wives and parents. I hope you like it!

“Hey Babe, I’m home!” Al called out as she opened the front door. She had a long day at the newspaper where she worked and she wanted nothing more than a relaxing evening at home. 

“In here!” Alicia called from the kitchen, and Al kicked off her shoes before walking in and smiling at the sight in front of her. 

Alicia was sitting on one of the stools at the island and was cooing at Charlie, the couple’s eight-month-old daughter. The two had adopted the little girl four months prior, and they loved being moms. 

Charlie was in her highchair and she had baby food all over her face from the supper Alicia just fed her. From what Althea could tell, it was squash. 

“Hi Charlie!” She said in a baby voice, going over and kissing the child on her fuzzy head. 

“Bahgahdo!” Charlie babbled, reaching out to Al, smiling and revealing a tooth poking out of her bottom gum. 

“How was work?” Alicia asked after Althea gave her a kiss. 

“It was fine. Same as always. How was your day here?” 

“It was ok. She’s teething so there was some crying here and there, but nothing a teething ring can’t fix.” 

Al nodded and grabbed a wipe to clean Charlie’s face off while Alicia put the empty baby food bowl in the sink. 

“Weren’t you wearing a different shirt when I left this morning?” She asked, realizing that Alicia was wearing a purple blouse instead of the red sweatshirt she had on when she went to work. 

“Yeah. I stupidly forgot to put a towel on my shoulder when I burped her and she spit up all over me.” 

“That’s not too bad. It could have been worse.” Al said, picking up the baby. 

“Life of a mom. Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Alicia said, smiling at seeing her wife holding their daughter. 

“Did you spit up on Mama?” Al asked Charlie, the baby talk reappearing. Charlie giggled and babbled some more, wiggling around in her mother’s arms. 

“Al, dinner will be ready in a few minutes.” Alicia said, breaking up the cute moment. 

“What are we having?” 

“Lasagna.” 

Al nodded and put Charlie in her playpen so the two could eat dinner and not have to worry about the baby crawling all around the house. 

With Charlie all taken care of, Al went on to set the table and Alicia pulled the lasagna out of the oven. 

“My mom called today. She wants us to come over for dinner on Saturday.” 

“Who’s all going to be there?” 

“Mom and Travis obviously, Nick, Luciana, Annie, Max, and Dylan. Uncle Victor will probably be there too.” 

Nick is Alicia’s older brother and Luciana is his wife. Like Althea and Alicia, Nick and Lucy decided to adopt, and they adopted three siblings. Annie was six, Max was four, and Dylan just turned two years old. The three were put into foster care after their parents died when Dylan was three months old and just after his first birthday was when Nick and Luciana adopted them. At the time Max was three and Annie was five. The kids adjusted well into the Clark family and Nick and Luciana were wonderful parents. 

“Uncle” Victor was Victor Strand, a family friend to the Clarks. Victor was Madison’s best friend since high school and the two were so close that Nick and Alicia saw him as an uncle figure because he was always there for them. After Steven, Nick and Alicia’s father, passed away, Victor helped Madison in the aftermath. 

“What about Chris? I thought his finals were done.” 

“They are, but he’s visiting his mom first. He’ll be coming by to see Mom and Travis in two weeks before he goes on that summer long road trip with his friends.” 

Travis is Alicia’s stepfather and Chris is her stepbrother. Chris was in college, and he was set to graduate the next year. 

“Did your mom tell you to bring something?” 

“No, but we can. Did you have something in mind?” 

“Nah, I was just wondering if we should bring some wine or something.” 

“That’s a good idea. We can get a bottle before we go over there.” 

“Ok. So, what do you want to do tonight? After we put the pipsqueak to bed of course.” 

“We could always watch a movie and cuddle. It’s been so long since we’ve had an evening like this. You’re usually home late.” 

“Sounds like a plan. Does the kid need a bath tonight?” 

“No. I gave her one this morning. Just a new diaper and new pajamas.” Alicia said, getting up to take care of the dishes. 

“How about you finish up down here and I’ll take care of the baby.” Al offered, knowing that Alicia’s changed enough diapers today. 

“Deal.” Alicia said quickly, starting the dishes. 

While Alicia was busy downstairs, Althea took Charlie up to the nursery and placed the baby on the changing table. While she changed Charlie’s diaper and put her in a sleeper, she talked to her, telling her about her day. Even if Charlie didn’t understand and couldn’t respond, Al found out that talking to the baby about something boring would help her get to sleep faster. Alicia also encouraged it, because she read somewhere that talking to the baby and having a conversation with her like she was a peer was more stimulating and could help her with her vocabulary and speech as she got older. 

When Alicia was finished up downstairs, she went to the nursery and smiled when she saw Al sitting in the rocking chair, rocking Charlie and telling her about her day. The baby was fighting to stay awake and it was such a peaceful scene. 

“And then Joe brought a box of cupcakes in for us because he went to interview the new owners that bought the bakery and they didn’t want him to leave empty handed………” 

“Sounds like a busy day.” Alicia whispered, careful not to wake the baby. Charlie had just shut her eyes and she was sleeping peacefully in Al’s arms. 

“Yeah. Not like some though. But it was enough to get her to sleep.” Al responded quietly, gently setting the baby in the crib. 

“I’m surprised you’re not insulted. Every time you tell Charlie about your work, she falls asleep.” Alicia joked as she watched Al double check the baby monitor before leaving the room. 

“Ha ha. Very funny.” 

“Oh, you know I’m only joking. Even if she can’t say it yet, I can tell that Charlie waits all day to hear about Mommy’s day at work.” 

Al gave Alicia a kiss and the two sat down on the couch to cuddle. 

“This is nice. I’ve missed you.” 

“I’ve missed you too. Luckily, my vacation is coming up in three weeks, and you’ll have me all to yourself for a while.” 

“I can’t wait. It’ll be nice, spending time with you and the baby.” 

“How’d I get so lucky, being married to an angel like you, having a baby with you, I feel so blessed.” 

Alicia didn’t respond, instead she let out a yawn and Al smirked. 

“You’re tired. Instead of a movie, would you like to go to bed?” 

“No, I’m fine.” Alicia said, but another yawn betrayed her. 

“Hey, let’s go upstairs. We can turn on the tv in the room and if you fall asleep, you fall asleep, no big deal.” 

“But I never get to spend the evenings with you and now you’re here and I’m too tired!” 

“Alicia, you’ve been taking care of the baby during the day, by yourself since I went back to work. It’s ok to be tired, and I don’t mind if you fall asleep early. Rest is important and I want you to be ok. Do you understand me?” 

Alicia nodded and the two went upstairs and settled into bed. 

“Go to sleep if you need to. I don’t mind, I’m just glad I get to sit here with you. That’s all I could ever ask for.” Althea said as Alicia practically collapsed on the bed. 

“But the baby….” 

“If Charlie wakes up, I’ll take care of her. Just rest Alicia.” 

Alicia didn’t have to be told twice. Five minutes after she laid on the bed, she fell asleep. Al kept Alicia close to her and she watched some tv, keeping the volume on low so she wouldn’t disturb her wife and she’d be able to hear the baby monitor if Charlie cried. 

Eventually Al grew tired just like her wife and she settled down next to her, pulling Alicia close as she fell asleep. 


	2. Haircuts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Funny stuff can happen when the cousins get together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm going to be continuing this story as a series of oneshots. Each chapter will be different and it won't be chronological. Last chapter Charlie was 8 months old and in this chapter she's 1 1/2. Next chapter she might be younger or older, it all depends on the inspiration I get and what kind of story I want to write. I hope you enjoy this hair raising tale.

It was a nice afternoon in May. Alicia, Althea, and Charlie were at Nick and Luciana’s house visiting. The grownups were in the living room visiting while all the kids were up in Annie’s bedroom, playing. 

Everything was going fine until the four were interrupted by Dylan walking into the room. 

“Daddy I gotta go potty.” The three-year-old said, and everyone stopped talking. 

“Ok Buddy. Let’s go-” Nick stopped short, seeing his son. Dylan’s curly hair was gone. His head was shaved in random spurts, and everyone was staring. 

“Dylan, what did you do to your hair?” Luciana asked, horrified. 

“I didn’t do it! Annie did. We’re playing barber shop.” 

Hearing that, all the adults got up and ran up to Annie’s room, seeing her holding Nick’s electronic razor, and half of Charlie’s head was shaved. 

“Oh my god Charlotte.” Alicia breathed, putting her hands over her mouth. Althea almost started to laugh, because their almost two-year-old looked so comical with half her head shaved. 

“Mommy! Mama!” Charlie cheered when she saw her parents. 

Nick took the razor away from Annie and he looked around the room horrified. Max’s hair was also given a hack job and there was hair all over the floor. 

“Annie, you’re seven years old, you know better.” Nick scolded, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“I’m sorry Daddy.” She said, and she looked like she was about to cry. 

“Go sit in timeout while we clean this up.” Nick said, and while he, Alicia and Althea cleaned the room from hair and Luciana took the boys into the bathroom to fix their hair. 

“I’m so sorry.” Nick apologized, looking at Charlie’s half shaved head. “It’s easier with Max and Dylan, because we can just shave their heads, but Charlie, her hair is longer.” 

“We can shave her head too.” Al said. “By the time she starts preschool in three and a half years, her hair will have grown back.” 

“What are we going to do with Annie?” Luciana asked as she walked into the bedroom after ten minutes. 

“Let’s ground her for a week. No tv, computer, iPad, or video games.” Nick said, and Luciana nodded in agreement. 

“I’ll go tell her.” Luciana said, walking out of the room. 

“Nick, can we borrow your razor?” Alicia asked, motioning to Charlie. 

Nick nodded and the two moms took Charlie into the bathroom to shave the rest of her hair off. 

Once their daughter was completely bald, both Alicia and Al couldn’t contain their giggles anymore. Shaving their daughter’s head was the last thing that they thought they were going to do today. 

The three went downstairs and as soon as they got into the living room, they were approached by Annie. 

“Auntie Althea, Auntie Alicia, I’m really sorry for cutting Charlie’s hair.” 

“We accept your apology Annie. We’re not mad.” 

“Really?” The little girl asked, looking skeptical. 

“It’s just hair, it’ll grow back.” Al said, because in reality it was no big deal. She and Alicia had more important things to worry about. 

“Just don’t do it again.” Alicia said, and Annie nodded. 

The rest of the afternoon was surprisingly calm. Nick, Luciana, Althea, and Alicia were trying their hardest to not laugh at how Max, Dylan and Charlie were now bald, because even if Charlie was a bit too young to understand, Dylan at three, and Max at five, might get their feelings hurt. 

“Just wait until Mom and Travis see them.” Nick whispered to Alicia when the three were getting ready to leave. 

This caused Alicia to start laughing again and she and Al went home with smiles on their faces. 

Later that night, long after Charlie was put in her crib, Alicia and Al were sitting up, watching the news. 

“I know it’s not the same, but what was your mom’s reaction to when you cut your hair short?” 

“Well, I cut my hair summer after senior year, because I wanted to style my hair for prom and graduation. I was eighteen so even if she hated it, I was a legal adult, there was nothing she could do. She liked it, she said that it suited me, and that was that. My brother owed my dad ten bucks though.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“After I came out junior year, my brother bet my dad that I’d cut my hair short and go with more of a butch style the summer before senior year. Dad thought that I’d wait until high school ended. Dad was right, so Jesse owed him ten bucks.” 

“That’s funny.” 

“The real funny part is Dad had an unfair advantage. One day on a car ride home, he asked me if I was going to cut my hair, and I told him that I wanted long hair for senior pictures, prom and graduation, so I could style it, so if I was going to cut my hair, it’d have to be after high school. He made that bet with my brother knowing that he was going to win. Don’t tell Jesse though.” Al laughed, seeing Alicia’s expression. 

“Oh my god, that’s hilarious.” 

“At least with Charlie, we don’t have to worry about any school pictures being ruined, or any bullying. By the time she gets to be preschool age, her hair will be back, probably longer than it is now.” 

Alicia nodded in agreement. “This was probably the best time for this to happen.” 

“We have to take pictures and send them to the grandparents.” 

“My mom might get war flashbacks.” Alicia joked, and burst out laughing when Al gave her a confused look. 

“When I was three and Nick was five, he cut my hair, and he shaved like half his head too. Luckily, my hair was really long and he only cut like half my ponytail off, so by the time Mom got it all evened out at the hair salon, it was still around my shoulders. Since Nick was a boy, Dad just shaved his head and that was that. Mom didn’t let us have scissors, not even safety scissors for like two years after that.” 

Al smiled and pulled Alicia into a hug. "Let’s just hope Charlie doesn’t get any ideas once her hair grows back.” 

“Maybe we should hide the scissors.” Alicia joked, and the two burst into laughter again, trying to stifle it after a few moments so they wouldn’t wake the baby. 

“Wanna check up on her and then go to bed?” Al asked wiping her eyes when a few tears dripped out. She and Alicia were laughing so hard that they were crying and Alicia’s face was as red as a tomato. 

“Sure.” Alicia said, getting up and following her wife up the stairs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, if there is a story you want to see, let me know down in the comments with what you want the plot to be and how old you want Charlie. I don't really know what to write with this story so suggestions are open, as long as they are respectful!
> 
> My tumblr is malvieswift if you're uncomfortable with putting a suggestion down below and want it to be private, I'll make sure my ask box is open!
> 
> *I'm not really comfortable writing about sex and stuff like that, and I'd like this story to be more family fluff focused but yeah, if you have fluff that you want to see, let me know!
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you like it!


	3. Disney Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Althea and Alicia take Charlie to Disney Land

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so first off, I just wanted to say, I hope this isn't terrible. I've never ever gone to any Disney parks growing up, and I probably never will because I don't like theme parks that much, especially big ones. I looked at the Disney Land website for most of this story, when it comes to rides and attractions and for the dining places. I didn't really look at where things were according to the map so if there are some rides or places in this story that seem unrealistic to fit the time frame, well I guess that's too bad.
> 
> Second off, I've been having some medical stuff going on with me and I might have to have surgery before the end of summer. Then school will start in fall, so that means that not only on this story, but all my other ongoing stories, updates will be slower from now on. I'm not abandoning or quitting any of the stories I have on here, but once school starts, my focus will be on that and not this.
> 
> Also, one last note for this series so there isn't any confusion, especially later on. In this series Alicia is "Mama" and Althea is "Mommy/Mom" Just so y'all can keep track later to who Charlie is talking to.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you like it!

“Do we have everything?” Alicia asked as Althea put the stroller into the back of the car. 

“Yeah. Is Charlie ready to go?” 

“Almost. I just have to tie her shoes and she has to go potty one last time.” 

Al nodded and looked through the old diaper bag that Alicia handed to her. 

Even though Charlie just turned four and didn’t need diapers anymore, they still packed wipes, sunscreen, Band-Aids, first aid cream and some extra outfits in the diaper bag. Al put Charlie’s water bottle in her car seat cupholder and she settled the little girl’s Disney Animators Moana baby doll next to the car seat and she smiled when she heard Charlie come outside. 

“Mommy!” She cheered, running out to the car. 

Al turned and smiled when she saw Charlie dressed up in her Snow White dress and red tennis shoes. 

“Hi Baby! Are you all ready to go?” 

Charlie nodded excitedly and Al sat her in her car seat, buckling her in. 

Alicia came out of the house with the last of what they needed and the three were off, on their way to Disney Land. 

Alicia and Althea had been planning this for months, as a special treat for Charlie. This was the last summer that the moms had before Charlie started preschool in the fall. Once that started, their whole routine of having her at home all the time was going to change. 

After a while, the three arrived at the park and as soon as they entered the front admission gates, they found themselves walking along Main Street, USA. Alicia was pushing the stroller, which had the diaper bag stowed in the under-seat basket. 

Althea was holding Charlie’s hand, because the little girl wanted to walk and as they walked along, they looked at what there was to do. 

Althea and Alicia have both been to Disney Land multiple times before, a few times each as kids, and then once together when they were dating and once again after they got married. They were seasoned veterans when it came to the theme park and they knew where to go. 

The family’s morning was filled with activity. The three went on the Alice in Wonderland ride, and Charlie rode the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride twice, once with Alicia and once with Althea. The moms also took many pictures of Charlie, with her posing in front of the Walt Disney and Mickey statue, and then with the various princess actresses around the park. All started to go downhill though, a half hour before lunch time. 

Right after Althea took a picture of Charlie posing with Aurora, the little girl walked back over to her mothers, looked to the left, and screamed. 

“Charlie, what’s wrong?” Alicia asked, concerned with her daughter’s change in demeanor. 

Charlie didn’t respond, she only pointed in the direction she had looked at and started to cry. 

Both Alicia and Althea looked up only to see Donald Duck walking in their direction. He wasn’t close, but eventually, he’d meet up with them. 

The moms understood instantly. Charlie was perfectly fine with meeting the characters that were visible human actors. The princesses, princes, and characters like Peter Pan were perfectly fine for her to meet. Characters that required the actor to wear a mascot suit or a mask however, were frightening to her. Althea and Alicia already got a first taste of this fear when they took Charlie to a basketball game and the then toddler had freaked out over the sports team’s mascot walking around. 

In order to stop Charlie from crying, Al picked her up and she and Alicia walked over to the side, stopping by an open bench. Althea sat down with Charlie on her lap, and Alicia knelt down in front of them, so she could see her daughter better. 

“Baby, it’s ok. Donald Duck isn’t going to hurt you.” Alicia cooed, trying to be soothing. “He just walks around the park, just like the princesses, so people can meet him and take pictures with him too. There’s nothing to be afraid of Sweetie.” 

Charlie only shook her head and looked more discouraged, so Althea decided to take her turn. 

“Charlie, you know that Mama and I will never let anybody hurt you, right?” 

When Charlie nodded, Al continued. “Alright. I promise that if you don’t want to interact with any specific characters, you don’t have to. Mama and I would never force you to do something that you don’t want to do. We understand.” 

Charlie nodded again and had calmed down considerably from when she first saw Donald Duck. 

The three moved when Charlie was ready, and once the little girl was situated in the stroller, Alicia and Althea decided to go to Alien Pizza Planet for lunch. This cheered Charlie right up, because she loved anything having to do with Toy Story. 

“I can’t wait to tell Grandma Madison and Grandpa Travis that we got to eat at Pizza Planet!” She said excitedly, as they ate. 

“You have a whole bunch to tell them when we see them next.” Alicia said, pulling out her phone and sending some of the pictures they took to her mom. 

Madison and Travis were the grandparents that Charlie saw the most. Althea’s parents and her brother and his family, lived in Texas, so Charlie only saw them once a year in June, when the family went to visit them for a week. Madison and Travis lived fifteen minutes away from Alicia and Althea, so Charlie saw them at least once a week. 

The same went for Nick and his family. He lived a half hour away in the other direction from Madison and Travis. Because Luciana’s mother and brother still lived in Mexico, Max, Annie, and Dylan only saw the Galvez side of the family once a year too. 

Once lunch was finished, Althea and Alicia decided to go to Goofy’s Playhouse and Minnie’s house, which were self-guided tour attractions. That way they could take their time, and the pizza they ate had a chance to settle. Charlie couldn’t handle having a lot of greasy food in her diet, so anything that would prevent her from throwing up on a ride was a must after lunch. 

When Charlie was ready, the three went on It’s a Small World and the King Arthur Carrousel before taking another break from the rides and going to get a little snack. They decided on the Red Rose Taverne, because Charlie loved Beauty and the Beast, and Alicia and Al wanted her to try the “Gray Stuff.” 

After their snack, the last ride the family went on was the Casey Jr. Circus Train. This ride was nice and relaxing for the family and they got to rest and relax for a bit. 

Althea and Alicia weren’t taking Charlie on too many rides this time around, because she was still little, and could get more overwhelmed. Plus, the wait times in line were unbearable on some of the more popular rides. And to top it off, there were some rides that Charlie couldn’t go on, because she wasn’t tall enough yet. Al and Alicia didn’t mind if they didn’t spend the whole day at Disney, because they were definitely going to bring Charlie again when she was older. 

After the Casey Jr. Circus ride ended, Charlie got in her stroller and fell asleep, tuckered out from her day of fun. Because their little girl was able to get a nap in, Alicia and Al took this time to walk around and go in the stores, finding little items in the shops that Charlie would like, and they could start getting ideas for Christmas and her birthday. 

The last things that they did before leaving was go to the Tiki Juice Bar so Al and Alicia could get Dole Whips, and to Clarabelle’s so Charlie could get a chocolate frozen yogurt. 

Once their sweet treats were finished, Charlie was starting to get a bit tired and cranky, so Al and Alicia decided that it was time to head home. 

“Did you have fun at Disney, Baby?” Alicia asked as she buckled a half-asleep Charlie into her car seat. 

“Mmhmm.” The little girl nodded; her eyelids almost completely shut. 

“Good.” Alicia responded, smiling and kissing her daughter on the forehead, before getting into the car next to Al. 

“We should do this again soon. This was fun.” Al said, making light conversation for the way home. 

“Agreed.” Alicia said, and they were, on their way back to their house, putting a perfect end to their magical day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it and I'll hopefully be back soon.


	4. New Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Children are like sponges, you have to be careful with what you say around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning/Trigger Warning: There are some mentions of child abuse in this chapter. There is also some swearing too. Read at your own discretion.

“Fuck.” 

Alicia looked up, startled, and put the plate that she was rinsing off into the drying rack. 

“What did you just say?” She asked her three-year-old daughter, Charlie. 

“Fuck.” Charlie replied, looking up at her mother. 

“Charlie, that is a bad word. Little girls like you are not allowed to speak that way.” 

“I’m sorry.” Charlie said, suddenly worried that she was going to get punished. 

“It’s ok, I forgive you. You didn’t know that it was a naughty word so this is only a warning. Now that you know, if you say it again, you’ll get punished. Do you understand?” 

“Yes Mama.” Charlie said, a serious look on her face. 

“Charlie where did you hear that word?” 

“Mommy.” Was all Charlie said, going back to playing with her teddy bear. 

Alicia grimaced and went back to washing the dishes. She’d have to talk to Al when she got home from work. 

As Alicia was getting supper around, Al walked in the front door and was met with a squealing toddler. 

“Mommy’s home!” Charlie shouted, before running into her mother’s waiting arms. 

“My Angel!” Althea smiled, picking Charlie up. “How was your day today?” 

“Good.” 

“That’s good. Let’s go see what Mama’s doing, yeah?” 

After Althea said hi to Alicia, Charlie ran out of the room to go play with her toys until supper time. This gave Alicia the perfect opportunity to bring up the afternoon’s event to Althea. 

“So……Charlie said a new word today.” 

“Yeah? What word?” 

“Fuck.” 

“What?” 

“Yeah, I was washing dishes and she was playing with her teddy bear and all of a sudden, she says “Fuck.” When I asked her where she learned that word, she said she learned it from Mommy.” Alicia said, looking at Al expectantly. 

“Oh Alicia, I’m so sorry. Last Thursday, on the way home from the park a lady cut me off and I yelled, “Who the fuck taught you how to drive?” and Charlie was in the backseat. This is all my fault I’m sorry.” 

“Well, I explained that it was a naughty word, and she isn’t allowed to say it. Since she didn’t know, I didn’t punish her, I only gave her a warning, but I did tell her she would get punished if she said it again.” 

Al nodded in understanding. 

“Alicia, we have to talk about that.” She said after a moment. 

“Talk about what?” 

“The kind of punishment we’ll use when she swears again, because face it, it’ll probably happen again.” 

“I don’t know. I feel like the punishments my mother used are too old fashioned and abusive. When Nick and I were kids, if we swore or lied to our mom, she’d wash our mouths out with soap, and I’m just not comfortable with putting cleaning chemicals in Charlie’s mouth, and risking her swallowing them.” 

“Agreed. And we agreed a while back that we’re not spanking her for anything either.” 

Alicia nodded. “Hands are not for hitting.” She said, one of the big rules in their house. 

“Al?” 

“Yeah?” 

“What did your mom do if you swore?” 

“Well, let me tell you right away, we’re not doing it. My mom was a hot sauce mom. She was just like you, she didn’t want Jesse or I to accidentally swallow soap if we had to get our mouths washed out, so instead she made us put hot sauce in our mouths. It was horrible and it hurt like hell but Mom slept well at night because it was “real food” so it couldn’t actually hurt us.” 

“Jesus Christ. That’s abuse Althea.” 

“Technically Alicia, almost every punishment our parents used on us is abusive. Raising a child in the 90’s was different than raising a child now. I don’t want Charlie to fear us, or to only behave because she’s afraid that we’ll cause her bodily harm. I think that for right now, if she swears, we put her in a timeout and then keep explaining to her why swearing is wrong until she understands. When she gets older, we can ground her or take away privileges like tv or internet.” 

“So, if Charlie swears again, we stick with timeout?” Alicia asked, making sure that they were in agreement with each other. 

Al nodded and gave Alicia a smile. “That way there is some consequence for wrong doings but we’re not scarring our child for life.” 

“Sounds good.” Alicia said, going over to the refrigerator and pulling out some milk. “Food’s going to be ready soon. Can you get the kid and bring her back down?” 

“Sure.” Al said, walking out of the room and going upstairs to Charlie’s room. 

“Baby, supper’s ready.” She said as she walked in and saw Charlie playing with one of her dolls. 

“Ok.” Charlie said as she followed Althea back down to the dining room. 

Supper went smoothly at first and all three were eating happily. Towards the end, when Charlie was just about finished, she accidentally put too many green beans on her fork, causing two of them to slip off of the fork and fall onto the floor. 

“Fuck.” The little girl said, startling both of her parents. 

“Charlotte, what did I tell you about saying that word?” Alicia scolded. 

“To not to.” Charlie said after a moment, realizing that her mother had told her that she was going to get punished if she said it again. 

“I also said that if you spoke that way again, you’d get punished. Finish your milk, and then go sit in timeout. I’ll come let you up in ten minutes.” Alicia said, seeing that besides the two green beans that fell on the floor, Charlie was finished eating. 

“Yes Mama.” Charlie said quietly, putting her empty cup down and getting up, going to the timeout chair that they had in the living room. 

While Charlie was in timeout, Alicia and Al took the time to finish eating and start clearing the dishes. 

Once the ten minutes had ended, Alicia let Charlie up and both moms sat with their daughter on the couch, sitting her in between them. They needed to discuss this. 

“Charlie, do you understand why I put you in a timeout?” 

“Because I said a naughty word after you said to not to.” 

“That’s right. That word is not for little ones like you to be saying. Instead of saying that word when we’re frustrated, what other words can we say?” 

“We could say oh no or oh man.” Althea suggested, getting the ball rolling. Coming up with proper substitutions for Charlie to use instead might help remind her to use other words. 

“That’s right, we can use those words instead. We can also use darn it, dang it, and shoot too, instead of the naughty word. Charlie, can you promise us that you’ll try to use those phrases instead from now on?” 

Charlie nodded, and looked at both of her mothers, confused. 

“What about Mommy?” 

“What about Mommy?” Alicia asked, confused. 

“It’s not fair if Mommy says the bad word and nothing happens to her, but I get a timeout when I say it.” 

“Charlie, Mommy is an adult. Sometimes adults are allowed to use words that little ones aren’t.” 

“No Alicia, Charlie has a point. I shouldn’t have said that word around her in the first place. Maybe if Mommy has a punishment too, it can solidify the fact actions have consequences in this house.” Althea said, thinking about something. 

“Charlie, would it make you feel better if I got the same punishment as you? If I sat in a timeout for ten minutes? Does that seem fair?” Althea asked the toddler. She honestly didn’t mind sitting on a chair in a corner for ten minutes, especially if it’s going to help teach Charlie that swearing is wrong and actions have consequences. 

Charlie nodded. “Since Mommy said the same word, it’s fair if she gets the same punishment.” 

Both parents nodded in agreement and Alicia took Charlie’s little timeout chair out of the corner and put a regular chair from the dining room in its place, so Althea wouldn’t hurt her knees while sitting. 

Once Al was sitting, Alicia went and grabbed the egg timer. 

“Ok Charlie, can you show me where it says ten on the timer?” 

Charlie looked at the timer, confused. The moms were working with Charlie when it came to reading and recognizing numbers and letters. 

“See Sweetheart, that’s a number one, and next to it is a zero. If you put those two numbers next to each other, they make ten.” Alicia explained, pointing to the ten on the timer. “We set it to there, and when it rings, Mommy is allowed to get up.” 

Charlie nodded in understanding and the two set the timer. 

While Al had her timeout, Alicia went to wash the dishes and Charlie sat on the floor and watched her mother. Knowing that she had an audience, Althea pretended to be bored, for Charlie’s amusement. 

When the timer went off, Alicia came back over to let Al up. 

“Now what have we learned today Al?” 

“To not swear, especially in front of the tater tot.” 

Alicia smiled and nodded, happy that they could put this behind them now. 

“What do we do now?” Charlie asked, looking around the room. 

“How about Mommy takes you upstairs and gives you a bath, and when that’s done, we can make popcorn and watch a movie?” Alicia suggested. 

“Toy Story 3?” Charlie asked, hopeful. Her favorite movies were the Toy Story movies. 

“I think that sounds like a good choice Sweetie.” Al said, picking the toddler up and taking her over by the stairs. “We’ll be down in a bit.” She told Alicia, carrying Charlie up to the bathroom. 

Alicia smiled and went into the kitchen, to go make popcorn and get everything ready. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!


	5. A Perfect End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie is now a big sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that this took so long, but I've got a new chapter now!
> 
> Jusi98 requested this prompt a long time ago, I hope that it's ok!

Charlie sighed as she slumped down in her seat. She leaned over and settled her head against her grandfather’s arm as he read a book next to her. In the seat to her right, her grandmother was reading a magazine and the seven-year-old was bored out of her mind.

It was a Tuesday afternoon in July and the three sitting in the waiting room at the hospital. Alicia and Althea, Charlie’s mothers, were somewhere in the hospital because Alicia was having twins.

Charlie was excited to have not one, but two siblings, especially since it’s just been her and  her moms for as long as she can remember.

“Grandpa, I’m bored. When can I see Mama and Mommy?”

Travis smiled and put down his book so he could look at Charlie.

“Well kiddo, it takes some time for babies to be born, and with your mother, there’s two babies, so we have to wait a little bit more until we can see everyone.” He explained, smiling at his granddaughter.

“Mommy will be out to get you soon.” Madison chimed in. “Mama is having a c-section, so it will be sooner than if the babies were born naturally.”

“What do you think the babies are?”

“We’re not sure.” Travis said, patting Charlie’s hand. “But no matter if it’s two boys, two girls or a boy and a girl, we’re going to love them and be thankful that so far, everyone is healthy and happy.”

“I wish I could see them now. I’m bored.”

“Why don’t you read your book for a little while? It’ll make the time pass faster.” Travis suggested, pulling a chapter book out of the little backpack that Charlie had brought with to the hospital.

“Ok.” She agreed, because she knew that there was truly nothing that either of her grandparents could do that would make her siblings arrive faster than they are meant to.

Charlie sat and read her book for about twenty minutes before she heard a door open and decided to look up, happy to see Althea coming toward the three, a big smile on her face.

“Mommy!” Charlie cheered, getting up and giving Al a hug.

“Hi Sweetie!” Al said, kissing her daughter on the forehead.

“Is Mama ok?”

“Yes, Mama is ok. She and the babies are in their room resting. Everything went perfectly fine, and Mama wants to see you!” Al said, taking Charlie’s hand and leading her down a maze of hallways, with Madison and Travis following closely behind.

It wasn’t long until the four arrived to a closed door, and before opening the door, Al turned around and looked down at Charlie.

“Now Sweetheart, I have a few rules before we go in. Mommy had to get stitches on her tummy, so be very careful. Do not hover or climb around all over her. We need to give Mama space to rest. Second, the babies are very small, and their ears are very sensitive so we have to use our inside voices. Do you understand?”

“Yes Mommy.” Charlie said seriously, knowing that though meeting new siblings was happy, and fun event, it also needed to be taken seriously.

“Ok. Let’s go meet your brother and sister, shall we?”

“A brother and a sister! Mommy I’m so excited!” Charlie squealed, clapping her hands and jumping up and down where she stood. Al smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm before putting her finger to her lips, a signal to switch to her inside voice, before opening the door.

Al led Charlie into the hospital room and the little girl smiled when she saw Alicia propped up in the hospital bed, looking a bit tired, but extremely happy.

“My Princess……” Alicia said, happy to see her oldest daughter. “Come here Angel.” She added, patting the spot next to her on the bed.

With Al’s help, Charlie sat on the bed next to Alicia, and Alicia kissed her daughter’s forehead once she was settled.

“First we’re going to meet your sister.” Alicia said softly, and Al quietly settled the baby into her wife’s arms.

“She’s so small.” Charlie noted, smiling at the sleeping baby.

“She is. Babies usually are this size when they are born, but she’ll get bigger before you know it.”

“Does she have a name yet?”

“She does. Mommy and I have decided on Jasmine Olivia.”

“Jasmine. I like that name.” Charlie smiled, leaning forward and kissing the baby on her little hat.

Both mothers smiled at the adorable scene in front of them before Al put the baby back in her bassinet and then retrieved their little boy, again placing the baby in Alicia’s arms.

“Now, this is your brother. We’ve decided on the name Jasper Steven.”

“Jasper and Jasmine. Matching names for twins. I like that.” Charlie giggled, looking at her brother, who unlike his sister, was awake and looking at the seven-year-old with wide, curious eyes. She then repeated the same action of kissing her brother’s head and then Al took the baby and put him in his bassinet.

“Are you happy with a new brother and sister?” Alicia asked Charlie, seeing that her daughter had grown quiet.

“Yeah. I get to be a big sister now. I’m excited to have one of each.”

“I’m happy that you’re happy.”

“When are we going to go home as a family?”

“Well, Mommy is coming home in four days, and the babies will come home with her.”

“Will I be staying with Grandma and Grandpa?”

“Yep. You will be staying with them until Saturday, and then we’ll all be home.” Al said, kissing her daughter on the forehead.

Charlie smiled and snuggled closer to Alicia, happy that it wouldn’t be long before everyone would be reunited in their own home, and until then, she would get to have her grandparents to herself for a few days. She always has fun when she’s with Madison and Travis.

A week later, Charlie was playing a board game in her room with her cousins, Dylan, Max, and Annie. Their parents, Nick and Luciana, were downstairs visiting with Al and Alicia, and meeting the twins for the first time.

“Do you like being a big sister?” Dylan asked Charlie, after she finished her turn.

“Yeah. It’s lots of fun! They don’t really do much right now, but Mommy told me that soon they’ll get big enough to play with me.”

You know, they’re not really your siblings.” Max said, finishing up his turn.

“What do you mean?  Sure they are!” Charlie protested, looking at her cousin with anger.

“No. I heard Mom and Dad talking about it. They said that they used IVF to have the babies, and one of the babies is biologically Aunty Alicia’s, and one of the babies is Aunty Al’s. The twins are biologically related to your moms. You aren’t. You were adopted.”

“You’re not making any sense; you guys were adopted too!”

“Yeah, but we all have the same biological parents. You don’t share any with the new babies.”

Charlie sat there, confused. She had no idea why Max was making a big deal out of this. She also didn’t really know how the babies worked in the first place, because her  mothers said that she was too young when she asked how the twins got into Alicia’s stomach.

“But  my moms said that family doesn’t have to be biological to work. As long as there’s love, it doesn’t matter.”

“Of course, it matters. Do you honestly think that your moms are going to love you the same as the twins? They’d pick the twins over you in a heartbeat, because they are actually related to them.”

“Max! Apologize! That was really mean.” Annie scolded, the almost thirteen-year-old horrified at what her brother said to Charlie.

“Why should I? It’s the truth.” Max shrugged, and looked back to the game as if he had said nothing at all.

Charlie grew very quiet then. Hearing Max say all those things, she was starting to doubt the love that  her moms gave her. What if they did really love her less?

“Ignore Max. He’s just being dumb.” Annie whispered to Charlie, and the four went back to their game, not speaking of the topic again.

Later, long after Nick and Lucy took the kids home, Al, Alicia, and Charlie were sitting at the table eating dinner. Alicia had finished feeding the twins earlier and they were sleeping in the nursery for the moment.

As the three ate, Al and Alicia noticed that Charlie was quieter than usual, and she wasn’t acting like herself.

“Charlie, is something wrong?” Alicia asked, looking at her daughter with a worried expression.

“Do you guys like the twins more than me?”

“What?  Of course not Sweetie! Where’d you get that idea?” Al asked, astonished at how Charlie could even think something like that.

“Max told me today that you guys did something called IVF. He said that made it so one of the twins is related to Mommy, and one is related to Mama. He said that you’ll like the twins better than me because they are related to you, and I’m not related to you or the twins at all. He also said that because I’m not related, I’m not really Jasper and Jasmine’s sister.”

“Charlie, that is not true. Mommy and I love you just as much as we love your brother and sister. Nothing more, nothing less. You three are the best gifts and blessings that we’ve received in our lives, and no number of babies is going to change  that. Blood relation isn’t going to change it either. And Max was wrong. You are just as much Jasmine and Jasper’s older sister as he is Dylan’s older brother.” Alicia said earnestly, thinking about how she was going to have to call Nick and let her brother know what his son was saying.

“Are you sure?” Charlie asked softly, still apprehensive about the whole situation.

“Absolutely.” Al said. “Charlie, would we ever lie to you about something like this?”

The little girl shook her head after a moment of contemplation, and both parents smiled.

“Good.” Alicia said. “If Max or anyone else for that matter, says anything more about this, ignore them. They’re just trying to get under your skin and make you mad.”

“Yes Mama.” Charlie said, picking up her fork and beginning to eat again.

Over the next few weeks, Al and Alicia made sure to include Charlie in most activities involving the twins, wanting to reaffirm that no matter what, she was a valued member of the family. As time started to go on, Charlie enjoyed her role of big sister more and more every day, especially as the twins got older and were more active compared to when they were newborns.

This signaled a new chapter in the Szewczyk- Przgocki Clark home, and Alicia and Althea couldn’t wait to see what the future would bring for their perfect little family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided that this chapter will be the last chapter of the series. I know five chapters isn't really all that long but I go back to school soon and when I do write, I want to focus on some other stories now.
> 
> Thanks for reading throughout the updates, it really means a lot.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you like it!


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